October 20, 2025
When we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives as our Lord and Savior, it is the beginning of a new life and a personal relationship with God. He becomes our best friend, counselor, teacher, guide, and shepherd. The way to grow in our faith and learn about God is through His Word in the Bible, which teaches us about who God is, who we are in relation to Him, His will for us as His creations, and more. The Gospels in particular reveal His nature and power, and His love for humankind through the life of Jesus.
In the Bible we read of the importance of God’s Word for our spiritual lives. Jesus, quoting Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). In his time of suffering, Job declared, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).
The theme of Psalm 19 is the importance of the Word of God. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; … the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold” (Psalm 19:7–10).
The apostle Peter, writing to new Christians, admonished them, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Just as the body needs food to survive and grow strong, our spirit needs spiritual nourishment from God’s Word.
The word “Bible” is derived from the Greek word biblia, meaning “books,” but it is far more than a mere book. The Bible is the Word of God and the foundation of the Christian faith and life. It reveals God to us, it tells us of God’s basic plan for man, and it contains unparalleled truth and instruction. It expresses “His precious and very great promises,” so that through them we may become “partakers of the divine nature”—and grow to become more godly, more like Jesus (2 Peter 1:4).
The Bible contains 66 books in two major sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. (“Testament” in this case means “covenant” or “contract,” so the Old and New Testaments can be thought of as the old and new binding agreements between God and man.) In the old covenant, God promised to bless the Israelites if they would worship Him only and be ruled by His law (Deuteronomy 27–28). The new covenant was announced by Jesus to His disciples at the Last Supper, the night before His death (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). As He passed around a communal wine cup, He told them that the wine symbolized “the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).
Over 600 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Jeremiah foresaw a day when God would make a new covenant with His people. Under this new covenant, God would write His laws on people’s hearts rather than on tablets of stone (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Jesus said that the new covenant is the fulfillment of what was promised in the first (Matthew 5:17).
The New Testament contains five narrative books—the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The Gospels recount the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The book of Acts, which was written by Luke, documents major happenings of the early church over the next 30 years and is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Twenty-one letters, or epistles, follow the historical narratives. Thirteen of these letters were clearly written by the apostle Paul, while the remaining eight were written by other apostles or others closely associated with the apostles. In the last book in the New Testament, Revelation, the apostle John recounts prophetic visions of the endtime and Jesus’ triumphant return.
The first mention in the Bible of anyone writing anything down is when God told Moses to “write this as a memorial in a book” (Exodus 17:14). Although none of the original biblical documents have been discovered, many ancient copies have, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Old Testament (dating to the second century BC) and the Codex Sinaiticus (dating to the fourth century AD) of the New Testament, including multiple copies of some portions.
All of the books of the New Testament were written within a lifetime of the death of Jesus of Nazareth. … To date we have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, with an astounding 2.6 million pages of biblical text.While some of these manuscripts are small and fragmentary, the average size of a New Testament manuscript is 450 pages. Add to this the ancient manuscripts in Latin, Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, etc., which number in the tens of thousands, and you realize that there is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to New Testament manuscripts. No other ancient text can compare with the New Testament when it comes to the sheer volume of manuscripts, nor when we consider how close the earliest manuscripts are to the originals.—Bible Archaeology Report1
The Bible teaches us that God’s Word is truth. “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm 119:160). “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Jesus embodied the Word, as we read that “The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father—and he was full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and He taught, “If you abide in My word, … you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).
Studying and learning the Bible’s precepts provides a standard by which we can measure all things and principles by which we can guide our decisions. God’s Spirit through His Word equips us to discern what is true and what is false and to discern God’s will. To fully benefit, learn, and grow spiritually from God’s Word, it is helpful to pause and reflect on it and apply it to our personal situations. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Or “study to show yourself approved to God,” as the translators of the King James Version put it, which is what it takes—diligent study.
We can ask the Lord to help us to be like the Christians of the early church in Berea, whom the apostle Paul commended for “receiving the message with great eagerness and examining the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). As we study the Scriptures, our faith will grow, as “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
The Bible is full of true accounts about otherwise ordinary men and women whose faith and love for God empowered them to overcome tremendous obstacles and challenges while staying true to their faith. Their faith made them great in God’s eyes and they received His commendation. (See Hebrews 11.) There is much that we can learn and much strength that can be drawn from their examples.
There are also many faith-building accounts in the Bible of God’s love and care for His children, His protection, and His supply of their every need, as well as examples of what not to do and the consequences of violating His spiritual principles. “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:11), and “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
The Bible is one book where it is generally not recommended for new Christians to start reading for the first time at the beginning in the Old Testament. It is best to start reading the first four books of the New Testament—the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—which chronicle Jesus’ life, teachings, and ministry. The gospel of John is often recommended to read first, as it contains the most words of Jesus.
The book of Acts is important because it not only recounts many of the main events of the first Christians, but it can also serve as a blueprint for Christian evangelism and community. The rest of the New Testament contains the epistles (and the book of Revelation), most of which were written by the apostle Paul and were sent to communities of Jesus’ early followers and were spread throughout the Roman Empire. The epistles taught the believers how to live the teachings of Jesus in community with other Christians.
In the Old Testament, the book of Psalms has been a source of inspiration and comfort to millions for thousands of years. The book of Psalms focuses on worship and encourages readers to praise God for who He is and what He has done. The Psalms give testimony of God’s faithfulness in times of trouble and remind us of the importance of His Word. They present a clear picture of God lovingly guiding His people, and the proper response of worship and devotion.
Good teachers are a shortcut to learning, and we can benefit from what experienced Christian teachers, authors, and theologians have learned through their study. Study Bibles provide commentaries and explanations on the meanings of Bible verses and passages, as well as pointing to related scriptures for context, which can be very helpful for understanding the meaning and intent of the verse and the context in which it was given.
Christian literature also provides faith-building reading to teach the Bible and how to live our faith, how to evangelize and respond to common challenges to the Christian faith, testimonies of Christian conversion, inspirational devotional writings, biographies of dedicated Christians, and more. Never before have so many resources existed for Christians to grow in their faith and walk with the Lord, in so many languages, often freely available on the Internet. Of course, it is important to evaluate any Christian writings based on the standard of the Bible and its teachings and principles. The Bible is the foundation and standard for Christian doctrine.
Abiding in God’s Word and patterning our lives according to its precepts is the secret to lasting joy and peace. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:9–11).
By studying God’s Word, we learn about His loving ways and what our priorities should be in our lives and our interactions with others. When asked what the most important commandments were in Scripture, Jesus taught that there was no greater commandment than loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourself (Mark 12:30–31).
When we understand the depths of God’s love for us, manifested in giving His only Son for our salvation (John 3:16), this helps us to have faith that whatever our circumstances may be, He will care for us. When disappointments, obstacles, and setbacks arise, taking time to read from God’s Word helps to put things in perspective. “Great peace have those who love your [Word], and nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165).
The Bible is full of promises that God has made to His people—promises that we can apply to our own lives. Some of His promises are universal ones, such as, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Others were originally made to certain individuals or groups, such as, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14)—a promise that Jesus first made to His twelve disciples.
But many of God’s promises in the Bible were not given solely for the sake of the original hearers. They are for all His children—those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who believe in God and His Word. As you grow in your understanding of God’s Word, you will learn to recognize His promises and claim them as a positive declaration of your faith and knowledge of the Word.
The Bible is the revealed will of God, so when we’re faced with a life decision, a starting point is to study what He has said in His Word and pattern our decisions on the foundation principles of His Word. Allow God’s Word to transform you “by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
God has plans and a purpose for each of our lives, even when the future is unclear to us or we don’t fully understand why certain events in our past occurred (Jeremiah 29:11). As we learn to counsel with Him and be guided and mentored by Him, we can trust that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).
As Christians, we are called to not only study, learn, and grow in God’s Word, but to put it into action in our lives. In the epistle of James, we read, “But be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing” (James 1:22–25).
To grow as Christians, we need to put what we read in the Word into practice—to take what God says at face value and do what He teaches us to do. “If you know these things,” Jesus said, “blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:17).
When we read about Jesus showing love and consideration to all people, we can ask Him to help us to follow His example, and He will. We can actively reach out to the people who cross our path to share the good news of the gospel and to be a living example of God’s love for every person.
When Jesus served those He was leading into the kingdom of heaven with great humility, He said, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:15). When we strive to pattern our lives after His example, we understand from His teachings that He has called us to serve others in love. “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant. … For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:43–45).
When we read “whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22),we do our best to follow, obey, and please the Lord.
When we read that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), we give of ourselves, our time, and our material goods and finances to help others in need. We trust that God will bless us and repay in good measure (Luke 6:38) and supply all that we need according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).
When Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21), we understand that we are each called, commissioned, and sent by Him to be His messengers, and we share the good news of salvation through Jesus with others.
May we be faithful to study God’s Word, to learn and grow in our faith, and to pattern our lives according to its teachings.
The Bible is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.—Author unknown
Published on Anchor October 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
1 Bryan Windle, “The Earliest New Testament Manuscripts,” Bible Archaeology Report, February 15, 2019, https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2019/02/15/the-earliest-new-testament-manuscripts/
Copyright © 2025 The Family International